Displaying and measuring device for oil-cloth.



No. 875,680. PATENTED JAN J. ARMSTRONG.

DISPLAYING AND MEASURING DEVICE FOR OIL CLOTH.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 8. 1905.

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1N: Nomus PETERS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

JOSEPH ARMSTRONG, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM G.

NEWLANDS, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

DISPLAYING AND MEASURING- DEVICE FOR OIL-CLOTH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

Application filed May 8, 1905. Serial No. 259.274.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ARMSTRONG, a citizen of the.United States, residing at the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Displaying and Measuring Devices for OilCloth; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had yto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and iigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in displaying devices for oilcloth or other goods kept in stock in rolls, 'from which the material is drawn and measured as it is sold.

The device consists of an upright frame or structure closed at its end and divided into compartments by shelves adapted to hold the rolls of goods to be displayed and meas ured. These compartments are open on both sides between the ends ofthe device and the shelves as shown in the drawing are inclined slightly downwardly from the front and rear to the center whereby the roll or rolls occupying the shelves have a tendency to occupy a central position. The goods may be drawn from the rolls from either side. The shelves are provided on both sides with vertically disposed ledges lor stops from which the oilcloth or other material is pulled as it is drawn 'from the roll. These ledges prevent the accidental escape of the rolls of goods from the shelves. The structure is graduated at one end to indicate inches whereby as the material is drawn from the uppermost shelf, it may be readily measured. Attention is called to the fact that as constructed it is intended that preparatory to removing and measuring the oilcloth or other material from any roll, the said roll is placed upon the uppermost shelf to facilitate the measuring of the material as it is drawn from the roll, since the graduations are arranged by designating the plane of the uppermost shelf as Zero, the numerals increasing downwardly to indicate inches or other subdivisions of a foot or yard. It is evident that in order to utilize the graduations to the best advantage for measuring purposes, the goods should be always pulled from a roll on the zero shelf though the ma- 1each side with a removable roller to facilitate the handling of the material after it is cut from the roll.

I-Iaving briefly outlined my improved device as well as the function it is intended to perform, I will proceed to describe the same in detail reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing, Figure 1 is a 'front view of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken therethrough, a part of the material being shown drawn from the roll. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view in detail with the parts shown on a larger scale. Figli is a detail view of one of the roller brackets. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a tapering roller employed in connection with my improved apparatus.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate the base of the structure which as shown in the drawing consists of a rectangularl frame consisting of narrow vertical parts G and horizontal parts 6C connected by transverse slats G. To the opposite ends of this frame are secured pieces 7 forming a sort of receptacle 'for the material as it is drawn from the rolls. To the pieces 7 are secured the lower extremities of the upright ends S of the structure. These lower extremities are inserted in mortiscs or recesses formed in the parts 7 and secured in any suitable manner as by fastening devices 9. As shown in the drawing the ends S of the device are provided at the top with a cap 10 which connects the end pieces making a rigid structure. Vertically disposed on the inner surface of each end piece 8, is a rib or strip 12. Each shelf as shown in the drawing is composed of two members 13 which are downwardly inclined Vfrom the opposite sides of the structure, a narrow space equal to the thickness of the parting strip 12 being left between the members of the shelf to permit any dirt or 'foreign particles of matter that may have accumulated to drop downwardly or escapo from the compartments. The parting strips 12 at the opposite eX- tremities 0f the structure space the shelf members as will be readily understood since these members extend transversely the entire distance between the inner surfaces of the parts. Attached to the parts 8 on op posite sides at the outer edges of the shelves, are upright ledges 14 forming stops to prevent the rolls of material 15 from accidentally escaping from the compartments of the structure.

At one end of the structure and on opposite sides thereof, are graduations as shown at A which as shown in the drawing may indicate inches, fractions of an inch or other subdivisions of a unit of measure. Adjacent to these graduations and suitably arranged vertically, are numerals to facilitate the measuring of the material as it is drawn from the roll 15 on the uppermost shelf which it is assumed the roll from which the material is drawn and measured, will always occupy. To the opposite ends of the structure and on both sides thereof, are attached brackets 16 having open recesses 17 to receive the journals of small rollers 18 which stand out sufficiently from the ledges 14C, to allow the material to pass between the roller and the structure as shown in Fig. 2, in which the material after it is drawn from the roller, is designated 15a.

From the foregoing description the use and operation of my improved device will be readily understood. The device is prefe erably mounted on casters 19 for convenience in moving it about which may be accomplished in the same manner as the movement of any other article of furniture. The device is of course more especially intended for use in stores where considerable quantities of material are sold from packages put up in the form of rolls.

It is evident that each shelf may contain two rolls as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The size, width and capacity of the structure may of course be determined at will. The uppermost ledge 14, is provided with a small groove 14a extending its entire length be tween the parts 8. When the required amount of material is drawn from the roll 15, any instrument may be passed along over thematerial on the line of the groove 14a, thus forming a mark on the goods to guide the clerk in cutting the material from the roll after it is drawn down to a convenient position. It is evident that each of the ledges may be provided with a groove 14a, though when the uppermost shelf or a single shelf only, is used from which the material is drawn from all the rolls, the latter being placed thereon in succession, it is evident that the guide groove 14a will only be needed on the uppermost ledge or that corresponding with the zero mark on the graduated side of the structure.

The use of the device will be explained by reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing,

it being assumed that the roll 15 occupying the uppermost shelf or the compartment designated l at the right of Fig. 1, has been removed from thecompartment 5, for the purpose of measuring the material as it is drawn from .the roll. As the material is drawn downwardly, it passes between one of the rolls 18 and the body of the structure and falls into the receptacle of the base where it naturally arranges itself in folds as indicated in Fig. 2. After the desired number of yards has been drawn from the roll, the operator runs the point or blade of his scissors over the material in front ofthe groove 14 thus forining a mark thereacross. Then as the material is drawn downwardly to a convenient position, this mark forms a guide in cutting the material from the piece. After the part 15a is cut, the part above the roller 18 drops over the same as indicated by the dotted line A in Fig. 2. The operator then removes the roller 18 from its brackets, and manipulates it to bring the extremity of the overhanging part at suitable proximity with the roll, after which the entire piece cut oif is rolled up upon the roller, the latter being preferably formed of slightly greater diameter at one end than the other, whereby it gradually tapers from one extremity to the other, to facilitate its removal from the small roll of material formed in the manner aforesaid. Attention is called to the fact that the rollers 18 are preferably formed polygonal in cross section to facilitate the rolling of the material thereon.

The parting strips 12 in addition to separating the inner edges of the shelf members 13, also separate the rolls 15 as shown in Fig. 3, when the said rolls are of suflicient length to engage the strips 12 at the opposite ends of the structure. This is assumed .to be the case in Fig. 3; while in Figs. 1 and 2 the rolls are not of suflicient length to engage the parting strips 12. Hence the rolls can occupy the central portion of the shelves when only one roll is placed on each shelf as shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is:

1. In a structure of the class described, the combination of two upright end parts provided with roll-holding shelves separating the space between the ends into compartments, the compartments being open to allow the material to be drawn from the rolls on the shelves, each shelf consisting of two members, each of which is adapted to support a roll thus adapting each shelf for two rolls, the ends of the structure adjacent the shelves being provided with vertically-disposed partingstrips adapted to engage the extremities of the two rolls on each shelf and separate the same, and one of the end parts being provided with designations indicating units of measurements, the said designations beginning at Zero at the uppermost shelf and increasing downwardly.

2. In a structure ofthe class described, the combination of two upright end parts provided with roll-holding,` shelves separating the space between the ends into compartments, the compartments being open to allow the material to be drawn from the rolls on the shelves, each shelf consisting of two members separated by a narrow slot, the ends of the frame adjacent the shelves being provided with vertically disposed parting strips which separate the shelf members and also form stops to separate the extremities of the rolls where two rolls are placed upon each shelf, and one of the end parts being provided with designations indicating units of measurement, the said designations beginning at Zero at the uppermost shelf and increasing downwardly.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH ARMSTRONG. lVitnesses:

DENA NELSON, WILLIAM E. WINDSOR. 

